Peter Navarro warns India: Stop buying Russian oil or it 'won’t end well' for New Delhi
Navarro contrasted India’s stance with what he called “great” trade partnerships the U.S. has formed with the European Union, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia
- Sep 9, 2025,
- Updated Sep 9, 2025 7:01 AM IST
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro in a fresh salvo has warned that India "must come around" on trade or face consequences.
In an interview on 'Real America's Voice', Navarro described India as the “Maharajah of tariffs” and claimed the country imposes the highest tariffs among major economies on U.S. goods.
“They have the highest tariffs in any major country in the world against the United States. We got to deal with that,” Navarro said.
He criticized India’s oil trade with Russia, stating that before the Ukraine invasion, India bought “little tiny drops” of Russian oil. “And then they go into this mode of profiteering with Russian refiners coming on to Indian soil… and American taxpayers end up having to send more money for the conflict,” he said.
Navarro contrasted India’s stance with what he called “great” trade partnerships the U.S. has formed with the European Union, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia. “All these countries are working very closely with us… they realise that they've been taking too much advantage of the US,” he said.
On India’s geopolitical positioning, Navarro warned: “If it doesn’t [come around], it's laying down with Russia and China, and that won't end well for India.”
Addressing broader sanctions on Russian oil buyers, Navarro said, “India's got to stop buying Russian oil. That’s going to be good for the whole peace; the road to peace partly runs through New Delhi.”
He added that while China remains the largest purchaser of Russian oil, the U.S. is imposing over 50% tariffs on Chinese goods in a bid to protect domestic iterests.
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro in a fresh salvo has warned that India "must come around" on trade or face consequences.
In an interview on 'Real America's Voice', Navarro described India as the “Maharajah of tariffs” and claimed the country imposes the highest tariffs among major economies on U.S. goods.
“They have the highest tariffs in any major country in the world against the United States. We got to deal with that,” Navarro said.
He criticized India’s oil trade with Russia, stating that before the Ukraine invasion, India bought “little tiny drops” of Russian oil. “And then they go into this mode of profiteering with Russian refiners coming on to Indian soil… and American taxpayers end up having to send more money for the conflict,” he said.
Navarro contrasted India’s stance with what he called “great” trade partnerships the U.S. has formed with the European Union, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia. “All these countries are working very closely with us… they realise that they've been taking too much advantage of the US,” he said.
On India’s geopolitical positioning, Navarro warned: “If it doesn’t [come around], it's laying down with Russia and China, and that won't end well for India.”
Addressing broader sanctions on Russian oil buyers, Navarro said, “India's got to stop buying Russian oil. That’s going to be good for the whole peace; the road to peace partly runs through New Delhi.”
He added that while China remains the largest purchaser of Russian oil, the U.S. is imposing over 50% tariffs on Chinese goods in a bid to protect domestic iterests.